Macky MacPherson hoping Syracuse does not play quarterback roulette during season

Greensboro, N.C. -- Steve Spurrier is famous for it. He believes in it. He trusts it.

Macky MacPherson, Syracuse's starting center, does not believe in it. Nor does he trust it. He is opposed to it.

The "it" in this case is the fickle, temperamental, risky, possibly rewarding multiple quarterback system that, for Spurrier and a select group of others, has worked wonders over the years. Rather than stick with one quarterback with one skill set, Spurrier uses multiple quarterbacks with varying skill sets. He did it at Florida, and he's still doing it at South Carolina. All while winning.

Macky MacPherson talks with reporters at the ACC Football Kickoff in Greensboro, N.C. He gave his scouting reports on each of the four potential quarterbacks for Syracuse. Michael Cohen | mcohen@syracuse.com

Several hundred miles north and west, Syracuse appears to be in a situation conducive to using multiple quarterbacks. Head coach Scott Shafer has Terrel Hunt and John Kinder, two players whose best assets are arguably their feet, but he also has Drew Allen and Charley Loeb, two pocket passers who fancy themselves as gunslingers.

If ever there was a time to tinker and toy, to alternate and assess, this might be it.

But MacPherson says no.

"I'm not a big fan of that system," MacPherson deadpanned at the ACC Football Kickoff on Sunday. "Just because I like consistency."

The quarterback roulette wheel will hum throughout August in Syracuse, with each of the four players likely to split reps with the first-team offense. But what MacPherson is hoping for is that Shafer and his staff, namely new offensive coordinator George McDonald, choose one player and one player only to lead the Orange onto the field against Penn State. He wants to build that familiarity with the player he is tasked with snapping to, and the best way to do that, in his mind, is to keep things the same snap after snap after snap.

To defend his point, MacPherson turns to last season and the tale of two halves for Syracuse. The Orange opened the year 2-4, with disappointing losses to Northwestern, Minnesota and Rutgers, plus one more understandable defeat at the hands of Southern California.

But after that, from Oct. 19's blowout of Connecticut through the Dec. 29 decimation of West Virginia in the Pinstripe Bowl, Syracuse was a different team. Its run game and pass attack coexisted without strife, Jerome Smith emerged as a dominant tailback, Ryan Nassib exuded the poise and moxie that earned him a spot in the National Football League. The team gelled into a co-champion of the Big East.

And MacPherson points to one singular moment that kickstarted the bulk of that momentum and metamorphosis: the return of offensive tackle Justin Pugh.

"I think the biggest telltale of if consistency works or not is our half of the season," MacPherson said. "Our first half of the season we had to rotate offensive linemen because Pugh was out. Our second half we had a solid five, and the offensive line looked great."

Pugh missed the first month of the season while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, but his return, both to the lineup and to his old form that made him one of the best lineman in the Big East, sparked the Orange. His presence in the locker room was uplifting, his play on the field inspiring.

And MacPherson believes the consistency of seeing the same five guys on the offensive line week after week helped morale and performance.

"We need to get that quarterback situation taken care of," MacPherson said. "We have four guys who all can play, and that's not a bad problem. When you've got four guys that can all play it's a good problem to have, but it's still a problem. We've just got to figure that out."

He gave brief breakdowns of each of the four quarterbacks that stand a chance of winning the job. In doing so he eliminated the two true freshmen, Austin Wilson and Mitch Kimble, from the competition.

There's Allen, the media-anointed superstar from Oklahoma with the big frame and the big arm. There's Hunt, the good overall athlete with the "underrated arm." There's Loeb, the fifth-year senior who is great at reading defenses. And there's Kinder, another athlete with good leadership skills.

Four guys with four skill sets. It sounds like a Spurrier special.

But not to MacPherson. He is waiting for one player to emerge and the consistency to begin. And if it all ends like last season -- a conference title and ring, a bowl win and another ring -- that would be just fine.

"I know about as much as you do about who is going to be the starter," MacPherson said. "But we're confident in whatever quarterback we're going to put back there."